Nate and Elena: Interludes
by Rogue Amazon Boo
Summary: Ever wonder about those in between times?  This is what happened. N/E


Disclaimer: They not be mine. Just borrowing, will be returned unscathed. This story also contains mature content. You have been warned.

Author's Note: Depending on how long the muse prods me, this is going to be a series of short stories centered on Nathan and Elena. Enjoy. Also, I do proof read my stories, but it is hard to catch all mistakes because writers tend to autocorrect in their heads and not always on paper. You want to nitpick the mistakes, then you have just volunteered to beta read = ).

This story takes place between Sink or Swim and Stowaway during Uncharted 3.

**Interlude One: Back From the Dead**

**By**

**Rogue Amazon Boo**

She'd been worried sick. Ever since Nate disappeared into the streets of Yemen in a drug induced frenzy she'd felt her heart stop beating. Then the men had come and taken Sully at gun point but inexplicably, they left her behind. The two men she loved most in the world where both gone in less time it took to take a breath. If that bitch Marlowe thought she was going to take this lying down she had another think coming. She'd been on the phone with her contacts, tying up loose ends for her rescue mission when Nate had stumbled through the door looking half dead. That was an hour ago. Now he was sleeping, his head in her lap; safe for the moment.

Elena looked down at her husband, the one who'd walked out the door six months ago without looking back, and wondered for the millionth time how they always ended up like this. She stroked her hand through his dark hair and he barely stirred. He really must be exhausted; usually he would bolt awake at her slightest touch. He smelled like salt water and petroleum. She could only guess at where he'd been and what he'd done. Elena sighed. That was always the problem, when it came to Nathan everything was guess work. He was charming, sexy, honorable in his warped way, and so closed off it was a wonder he'd ever even admitted he loved her. That was their problem when they first started dating. It was why she'd broken it off with him, but fate seemed to have other plans. When she'd run into him in Nepal and become embroiled in his quest to find Shambhala she'd felt that immediate connection to him again. The one that started the first day she'd met him. It had just grown stronger the longer she'd known him, but no matter how much she loved him, no matter how well they got along, there was a part of Nathan that he wasn't willing to share with her.

She felt it, sensed it, and sometimes…she felt he was on the verge of opening up, but then he'd simply shut down. Strangely enough, it was days like this that the sex between them was explosive. Elena felt a blush stain her cheeks. When she'd first met Nathan she hadn't been a virgin, but she'd only had a couple of partners, one her senior year of high school and one when she'd been a sophomore in college. They'd been pleasant, loving men, but although sex had been satisfactory, she'd never seen stars.

With Nate…with Nate she'd seen stars go super nova. It was like he knew exactly how to touch her to make her pant, make her moan, make her lose complete control. When she was with him like that, they were totally in synch, like he used his body to tell her all the things he couldn't put into words. She still remembered her first time with him, after he'd saved her from Navarro and they'd returned to the island Nate had pounced on her like a starving man. He'd told Sully that unless they were under attack, he was not to be disturbed. He'd taken her fully clothed against the door of his hut, and then he'd stripped her naked and done things to her that had to be illegal. In short, he'd owned her body and for the first time in her life she'd given her lover complete control.

She shuddered slightly and he shifted his head in her lap, still asleep. She continued to run her fingers through his hair. If only he could be as open with her while they were fully clothed. She'd managed to coax a little of his past out of him. She knew the story about Marlowe, knew how he'd met Sully, he told her a little about the orphanage he'd grown up in for a time, less about his time on the streets of Colombia, and even less about what happened to his parents. It was like the darker the part of his past, the more closed down he became. It frustrated her and angered her. Hadn't she proved through the years that she could handle his darkness? Handle it and not leave him?

Instead he'd left first, he always left first, even if she'd been the one to break up with him the first time they started dating. When they got married, he'd always acted like he had one foot out the door, and the tighter she held on, the further away from her he got. He'd said he was sorry, before he passed out from exhaustion. She already knew that, but it didn't make her heart hurt less. The sad fact was that she'd forgiven him months ago. She loved him so much that she'd take him back again and again. It wasn't healthy, but it was how it was. She was so lost in her thoughts that when Nate stirred and blinked wearily, she jumped. He bolted awake and was immediately on the defensive; he shielded her with his body while looking for the threat. She put a calming hand on his arm.

"Nate, it's all right. They aren't here, we're safe." Her voice seemed to pull him back from the edge and he ran a shaky hand through his hair. He shot her a rueful grin.

"Sorry, it's been that kind of day."

She smiled, for the first time in hours. He could always make her smile. "I think that might be the understatement of the century."

He grinned and then got a whiff of himself. He recoiled.

"Damn, I smell like a dead fish. I'm surprised you didn't toss me out on the veranda to air out."

She smirked. "I might have, but I was afraid you'd attract cats." He grinned again, but then his face sobered. That haunted look that was never too far away shadowed his features. She saw the change and knew what he was going to say. She didn't want to hear it right now.

"Don't Nate. Please."

He swallowed and looked away first. "I-I'll just go take a shower."

He left and Elena watched him go. It seemed that she was forever going to be watching him walk away from her.

Nate walked away from Elena; he was getting damn good at that. Disgusted with himself, he went into the bathroom, stripped, and stepped under the lukewarm spray. Yemen wasn't the best place for the kind of shower he wanted. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the tiles. Once again Elena was in the thick of things. She'd even planned to attempt to rescue Sully on her own. Even though he'd told her he liked the way she thought, he was still screaming inside. Chloe and Charlie had it right; these were not people he should be fucking with. His obsession would not put Elena in danger again, not this time. He sighed and started soaping himself down, washing away the stink that clung to him. He wished he could wash his sins away just as easily.

Nate cursed under his breath. Elena was his kryptonite and that bitch Marlowe fucking knew it. She'd threatened her, and he knew that as soon as he could, he was leaving her behind to go rescue Sully. She was not going to confront these assholes, not this time. Fuck, he'd left because he knew this was going to get hairy and he did not want her to be put in danger again. He'd almost lost her once; he was not going through that again. He paused and let the tepid water run over his skin. She was still wearing his ring. She'd said it made things easier, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, but he hoped that the real reason was that she still wanted to be his. He already knew he was hers, no matter how much he tried to fight it. He got out of the shower and used one of the scratchy towels to dry off. He went into the small bedroom and found clothing laid out for him. He almost smiled.

When he and Elena had separated, Chloe had called him a bloody stupid prick. Chloe knew him almost as well as Sully, they were cut from the same cloth. She knew he was in love with Elena the moment they'd run across her and her camera man in Nepal. Even though she'd never said it in so many words, he knew that Chloe liked her, even respected her. She'd even told him not to bollocks it up at his wedding reception.

He'd not only messed up, he wasn't sure if he could fix it. Nate frowned at the boxers in his hands. He was one fucked up hombre. He had this beautiful, intelligent, sexy, and courageous woman who loved him, him out of all the unworthy fuckers in the world, and he kept screwing it up. Hell, she didn't even know that Nathan Drake wasn't his real name, not that he wanted anything to do with the name his so called father had given him. He felt like an imposter around her, like all the good things she told him she saw in him were lies that he'd inadvertently told her. There was no way he was the man she thought he was. If he had been then he would have protected her better. That was the crux of the matter, she'd almost died last time, and for some selfish, messed up reason he couldn't let this situation with Marlowe go. He was compelled to finish it, no matter the cost to himself, but he wasn't going to drag Elena down with him. It was bad enough that Sully….he couldn't complete that thought. The guilt would destroy him.

He caught sight of Elena as she puttered around, muttering about last minute changes to the plan, while talking to her contact on her cell phone and pacing. He watched her mouth as she spoke, watched those pink lips and thought of other things that mouth could do. He looked down and was unsurprised to see the bulge tenting the boxers he just dragged on. He watched her move, watched her ass flex in those conservative khaki pants. She was on assignment a lot and this tended to be her uniform. He loved her in it. He loved her even more out of it with her shoulder length blond hair down and her soft skin bare. Her skin tended to freckle in the sun. He remembered his mission to count them all with his tongue on their honeymoon. It didn't help his condition. Scowling, he had grabbed the jeans she'd laid out for him, intending to stuff his unruly cock in despite the possible pain. Elena chose that moment to walk in.

"Okay, my contact says the time is still the same but for some reason they've beef up security so we should…" She trailed off her gaze riveted to his crotch. He tried to make a joke about it to cover his embarrassment.

"See something you like, sweetheart?" Elena's hazel eyes rose to him and the emotions there slammed into him, making it hard to breath. Need, longing, want, and underlying it all, love. He swallowed. "Ah baby please, you're killing me." She shook her head, refusing to hear him. Her phone slipped from her nerveless fingers and hit the throw rug with a muffled clatter. She crossed the room, grabbed his head and pulled his lips down on hers. Nate groaned and opened his mouth, her tongue immediately tangled with his as the kiss grew frantic. This wasn't going to be slow, but Nate didn't care. It had been six long months since he'd had her in his arms. He wasn't going to quibble, not when she was devouring him like she was starving and he was manna from heaven. She ate at his mouth, her lips nipping his bottom lip and then her tongue gliding over the small hurt. He couldn't strip her clothes off fast enough. The button down rose colored blouse and the undershirt went first. He pulled away so he could look his fill. Her breasts weren't large, but they were high and tight, her nipples beaded behind the plain white cotton bra. Nate unhooked her bra and she let it fall down her arms to the floor. Those rose colored nipples he loved so much were bared to his gaze and he sucked in a ragged breath.

"God, I love your tits." She rolled her eyes, but there was mirth dancing there.

"Wow, way to turn a girl's head." He smirked.

"Hold on to something, baby," he breathed and took the distended tip of her right breast into his mouth and sucked hard. Elena felt her knees buckle and she grabbed his shoulders for support.

"Shit, I-I f-forgot, Oh God…" she stammered as he laved and sucked and basically drove her insane. Her tits had always been sensitive and he knew it, damn him. Nate's big hands roved over her body while he suckled her, groping her ass, soothing up the bumps of her spine, and finally freeing her hair so he could delve his fingers into the gold brushed strands. Elena's hands were busy also, sliding over his chest, tickling his ribs, and then delving into his boxers to grasp his cock. She pumped him once, twice, and Nate growled as he snatched her up and dropped her down on the bed. Her khakis and panties were ripped down her legs, but they got tangled with her hiking boots. He pulled them off, along with her socks and then stripped his boxers off. He crawled over her and paused, looking into her eyes.

"Jesus Elena I'm sorry, about…everything." Elena didn't want to hear his apologies, didn't want to dwell on why this was a seriously bad idea.

"Just get inside me Nate, I need you."

He didn't have to be told twice. He took himself in hand, guided the tip to her entrance, and thrust home. Elena made a high, keening sound, the same one she always made when he took her hard. She was tight and wet and her heat seared him straight to his soul. He braced his big body over hers and linked their hands. His eyes never left hers as he started to thrust deeply. He felt like he wanted to crawl inside her skin as she panted and moaned his name. He made his thrusts long and hard plunging in as far as he could before withdrawing. Elena was almost sobbing now and her eyes were drifting close.

"No, keep your eyes open, look at me." She complied and he tilted his hips at a different angle. Her breathing hitched and her hazel orbs went blind with pleasure. He wasn't going to last much longer, he could feel the tightness gathering in his balls, the pressure radiating down his spine.

"Come for me baby, let go." She keened as another thrust dragged across her nerves.

"I-I c-can't please, Nate I-I need…" He knew what she needed. He released her hands, bracing one hand near her head and the other moved down between their bodies. Nate found her throbbing clit with his thumb and started rubbing it in a circle, applying pressure. It was enough to send Elena over the edge. She gasped his name as her orgasm slammed through her. He felt her tight sheath pulsing around him, milking him and he came hard; shooting deep inside her. A minute or an eternity passed, he wasn't sure which as he felt the aftershocks roll through his body. Elena shuddered beneath him and he disengaged and rolled to his side. He didn't want to collapse and crush her; he also didn't want her too far away from him. He immediately pulled her naked body against his side and was gratified when she nuzzled closer.

She planted a light kiss against his chest, near his heart and started toying with his chest hair.

"You still know how to show a girl a good time," she quipped but it sounded strained. He sighed and hugged her closer.

"I know what's going through that head of yours. You're already regretting this." She closed her eyes tight and then opened them. She angled her head up and rested her elbows on his chest so she could look him in the eye. One of her hands came up and traced his jaw.

"I love you Nate, I always will, but not a damn thing has changed. One bout of sex, no matter how hot is not going to fix things between us."

He caught her hand and kissed her finger where her wedding ring resided.

"I know Elena, Jesus I know. The middle of this shit storm is not the time or place for this. I just want you to promise me one thing. D-Don't give up on me, okay? I know that I am a bastard and I don't deserve you, I just…"

She smiled down at him, her eyes equal parts sad and loving.

"Let's just get through this…and we can see about the rest." He nodded and hugged her tight. She rested against him, her heart and his beating in synch.

Elena felt Nate drift off to sleep. She knew he was still exhausted and they still had about an hour and half before they had to get going. She studied him. She still loved him, but she wasn't sure if she could give it another go. She wasn't sure if her heart could handle it. Still, she had said for better or worse, and she already knew that loving Nathan Drake wasn't easy.

She gently untangled from him and padded lightly over to her phone. She picked it up from the floor where it had fallen. She set the alarm, placed it on the night stand, and settled back in. He grunted and pulled her closer. She couldn't help herself from running her fingers through his hair and dropping a light kiss on the corner of his jaw.

She sighed. Yes, loving Nathan was never easy, but she really couldn't imagine her life without him.

_Fin_


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